Socially Anxious Girl Starts Hoarding Before the Apocalypse - Chapter 23: Rural Livelihoods

Life from birth has been nothing but hell. I lost my parents to some stupid aristocrats whom they offended. Executed for no good reason.

My relatives abandoned me and pushed me aside. They feared for their lives and left me and my sister to starve and wander the streets alone!

No, this is worse than hell!

I watched my sister die of starvation. Her lips were dry and her feet bloody. Her nails were broken and her fingers riddled with cuts. She struggled in my hands and after a few seconds of struggle she passed away. She seemed joyful in death so I prayed mine will come just as swift and merciful as hers.

So I stayed in the alleyway, alone with her rotten corpse awaiting my fate for God knows how long. I could see it already. The darkness encroaching from all sides

Everyone said death is scary but I say it’s the end! Who needs life after death? What is the need for reincarnation?

Who would want to return to this crazy world?

“It’s not yet time for you to go… You have one more task to accomplish as my host” A voice called out to me.

I could barely see or speak but how can I miss such a beautiful face? It was an extremely handsome man who gazed at me with tender eyes.

.....

“Haven’t I suffered enough? Can’t I just rest?” I cried out. Why would I want to stay back in such a cruel world?

“Don’t you want to avenge the death of your parents? Don’t you want to become something greater? I can make that happen!” The beautiful man said with an alluring voice.

“You… Who are you?” I asked with an anxious heart.

My parents always said God is the only one who cares about me! Maybe in my final hours, he has come to save me.

“Call me Death…”

[Congratulations! The system will guide you to find a handsome and kind husband in the apocalypse!]After being killed by the demon king, the demon queen had a second chance to live in the body of a woman in the apocalyptic world, Medeia Vega.Their planet has apparently been hit by cosmic radiation, causing living things to mutate and develop unique abilities.People with weak mental states couldn't keep their humanity and turned into monsters, while the survivors had to fight those monsters endlessly to stay alive.Her main mission in that world was to find a kind-hearted husband, but it just so happened that Medeia also built a safe haven for people.Would she be able to find the man of her dreams in the apocalypse?————[Before dating a kind hearted man, you should also have a pure heart!]“Fuck.”[Foul language detected! Penalty minus 20 points!]“Damn you—”[Foul language detected! Penalty minus 30 points!]“You shitty system, how dare you keep reducing my point?! I hope you rot in hell, you bastard!”[Foul language detected! Bad curse detected! Penalty minus 100 points!!!]

In the year 2220, a radiation source in the Pacific Ocean, tens of thousands of times stronger than a nuclear bomb has begun mutating exposed creatures into horrific monsters thousands of meters long. Mankind’s only hope was nuclear weapons, which only made matters worse. The combination of the natural radiation and nuclear radiation released an incurable and highly infectious virus, turning the 90% of the world’s population into violent zombies in mere weeks.

In humanity’s final war against the Demon Lord, the strongest heroes fell—not by the enemy’s hand, but by their own, twisted into madness by a cruel illusion. Betrayal. Bloodshed. Despair… and then, silence.Only one person remained: Riley—the weakest warrior of them all. Powerless. Ignored. Forgotten.But he saw through the Demon Lord’s deception. The tyrant was on the brink of death—so weak even a fly could’ve finished him off.And Riley did just that, drawing every last ounce of strength to bite off the demon’s head.Victory? Not quite. A final, desperate strike from the Demon Lord pierced him from behind, killing him instantly.But fate wasn’t done with him yet.Riley awoke ten years in the past—when the online game [Apocalypse] was launched. Before demons descended. Before monsters overran the world.And this time, he wasn’t starting from nothing. He had a decade of experience—and a second chance.Even more shocking, he didn’t awaken his old D-rank Strength Boost talent. This time, he received something far more terrifying: an SSS-Rank Gluttony talent!He could now devour anything—monsters, items, talents, even traits—and gain their power.Ding![You have devoured: Iron Fang Wolf][Acquired: +4 Strength, +2 Agility, Skill: Bite (F-rank)][You have devoured: Goblin ShamanAcquired: +8 Intelligence, Skill: Mana Bolt (E-rank), Talent: Minor Spellcasting Efficiency][You have devoured: Flaming Salamander Drake][Acquired: +22 Endurance, Trait: Dragon’s Resilience, Skill: Flame Breath (C-rank)]Now, there is no demon, no god, no monster who will stand in his way. He will devour everything—and save the world.But the power of Gluttony was a double edged sword. If he wasn’t careful… he could be the one getting consumed.